My wife and I have lived in Suffolk since 2011 although family connections go back further as my mother in law had a house in Aldeburgh and her parents lived in Edwardstone for over 50 years. I was born in Edinburgh and after university spent 22 years living and working in London.
I have enjoyed a portfolio of roles and avoided a career governed by a routine of 9 to 5. I have sought career paths that challenge and engage and spent twenty years working for the Church of England, latterly in senior roles including secondment as Deputy Public Affairs Secretary to Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. I subsequently moved into the private sector for 12 years as Corporate Responsibility Director for a major UK commercial property company. As part of my role I led on parliamentary engagement and represented the business on a number of UK and European trade organisations including the CBI and EPRA
These roles complemented my involvement in politics dating back to Edinburgh and culminated in my serving as a member of Westminster City Council for 16 years, representing the diverse communities found in St James’s and Covent Garden. I was honoured to serve as Lord Mayor of Westminster during 2006/2007. My interest and skills led me to focus on planning and transport policy areas while on the Council. I spent time on London-wide bodies including service as Vice-Chair of the London Planning Advisory Committee which, eventually, was folded into the GLA when it was set up. Along the way I was a parliamentary candidate in the 2001 General Election and chaired the Covent Garden Area Trust (a Secretary of State appointment) and the Association of Town & City Management for 5 years respectively.
Since retirement from full-time employment and the permanent move to east Suffolk I have served as a member of Suffolk County Council (SCC) since 2017, representing Wickham Division which covers six civil parishes including Melton. I have been the Deputy Cabinet member for Transport Strategy on SCC for several years and have been the national chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) Public Transport Consortium since 2019.
